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IT’S NOT TOO LATE

02/09/2022 08:16:00 Editor

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As we await another fact-finding mission from the South African Development Community (SADC) Troika organ on defence and security, following a recent resolution by SADC leaders, one can’t help but give thought to what this brings to light about the conflict resolution capacity among emaSwati.

In every society, there are many men and women who have played a critical role in brokering peace in their communities; they have gone on to be recognised globally. These are individuals who have gone on to receive the famous Nobel Peace Prize. Many of us are familiar with the story of Alfred Nobel, the founder of the Nobel Peace Prize. This was an inventor who held about 355 patents, and the most famous of these was dynamite. This product, among other armaments, was used in wars and caused many deaths. His company became the biggest supplier of arms in Europe. It made a lot of money for him, and he was pretty pleased with himself until 1888, when a French newspaper article mistakenly wrote that he had died and had an unflattering obituary about him. It had the headline; ‘The merchant of death is dead’. His death was mistaken for that of his brother Ludvig. The story goes on that Alfred was saddened by references in the obituary such as ‘Dr Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday’. He ultimately realised his inventions for what they really were.

Fortune

That changed him inside, as this was not how he wanted to be remembered. He subsequently changed his will and left his entire fortune to be used in setting up a foundation that would fund five Nobel prizes. One of these is the now famous Nobel Peace Prize. The others are the Literary Prize and three Science Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine. Numerous individuals from across the world have been recipients of this Noble Prize. No one from Eswatini has received it yet, but I believe the Noble prize is relevant to us in more ways than one. Firstly, that there is good in all of us and, like Alfred Nobel, it is not too late to change the legacy of being ‘merchants of death’. There are just too many dead bodies and too much blood is being spilt on the streets, property is being destroyed – all in the name of seeking change. The Nobel prize also serves to remind us that violence is not the only way to bring about desired change. A majority of the recipients of these awards were recognised for fostering peaceful means of change within their countries.

Recipients

One of the recipients of this award is the former president of the African National Congress, Albert Luthuli, who was recognised for his non-violent means to end apartheid in South Africa. So was Bishop Desmond Tutu for his role as a unifying leader in a non-violent campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa. American activist Martin Luther King Jr., was honoured for his non-violent struggle for the civil rights of African-Americans. He joins a long list of famous personalities such as the Dalai Lama, Mother Theresa, Mikhail Gorbachev, Kofi Annan, Aung San Suu Kyi, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama, to mention a few. Eswatini is currently engulfed by a state of fear brought about by violent attacks on individuals who are seen as supporting the status quo. Some of their homes have been burnt down while members of the security forces have been shot dead by people who have claimed to others to belong to a group called the Swaziland Solidarity Forces led by a faceless ‘commander’. The fear instilled by the so-called ‘commander’ is enough to cause some schools to close when threats are issued and to cause some workers to stay home. We have seen this fear with the Reed Dance attendance as some parents chose to keep their children at home. This fear is now the source of delay for the national dialogue, which has prompted SADC to send another Troika fact-finding mission.

Dialogue

This time it will be coming to determine who the instigators are and if it is safe to have a dialogue. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to lead the delegation. If all goes well and the warring factions in this country eventually find a peaceful way forward, he could be the next on the list of Nobel Peace Prize awardees – if he survives the Phala Phala scandal, that is. It would be a shame, and typical of us, to allow external forces to make decisions on our behalf, seize all that is ours, and persuade emaSwati to engage in practices that are not in our best interests. It’s not too late to dig deep within our hearts and find one another.